Planoorapii co



C. GOTTWALD. UNDERGROUND coNDUlT CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED 0CT.26. |917.

Patented Sept. 2, 1919.

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Underground Conduit Construction,

` act description.

IJNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. i

CHRISTIAN GOTTWALD, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE RIC-WIL COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OIIIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

UNDERGROUND-CONDUIT CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 2, 1919.

To all whom it may concern: l

Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN Gorr- WALD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement iii o whichthe following is a full, clear, and ex- This invention relates to the kind of underground conduits which are used to contain, protect, and prevent the loss of heat from pipes through which steam or other heated fluid is distributed.

"The main object of the invention is to enable the use, for this purpose, of hollow tile segment blocks, substantially like those which are in common use in sewer construction. But to do this it has been necessary to modify ,these `hollow tile segment blocks in'themanner and to the extent hereinafter setv forth, and to associate the conduit formed with such modified segment blocks with a certain supporting base, and with means for under draining, all as shown in the drawing and hereinafter described.` And the inventionl consists in the resulting combinations ofparts as pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing, Figure'l'is a vertical transverse section of an underground conduit constructlon 1n which the present 1nvention is embodied; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the lower part of said conduit construction.

Referring to the parts by reference char acters, 10 represents a concrete base, having in its upper surface a longitudinally eX- tended drainage groove 12. `15 represents the conduit proper; and 25 represents the steam pipe therein.

The conduit 15 is built up of a plurality of segment blocks 16. Each of these segment blocks is formed with an inner row of longitudinal holes 16a through it, and with an outer row of longitudinal holes 16". These blocks are laid with mortar or cement joints between them, in the usual way, to form a cylindrical conduit of any desired length. And all of these segment blocks except the segment block marked 17 are preferably made of vitriied tile. The segment blocks 17 are placed at frequent longitudinal intervals at the very bottom of the `freely, lengthwise of the conduit.

4by said steam pipes may, as they expand and contract, be able to move freely longitudinally. 'Likewise these blocks 17 have `a drainage hole 17b throughthem from the inner to the outer surface, which drainage holes are arranged to discharge into the drainage groove 12 in the base. l

VTo prevent the escape of heat from this conduit 'the outer row of holes 16b is packed with insulating material 19. The inner holes 16a need not be so packed, because the air imprisoned therein will act in a large degree as a heat insulator, provided that air is not allowed to circulate To prevent this the holes 162L are plugged at frequent intervals by plugs 20 which may be made from the mortar used to join the ends of the segment blocks. Preferably these mortar plugs are put into both ends of the inner row of holes of each segment block. The air, therefore, within these holes, is prevented from circulating, and therefore acts as an effective insulator since it can not carry away from a given block any heat which it absorbs.

In the formation of the conduit construction the base 10 is first laid or formed in the trench, with the drainage groove 12 in its upper surface. Uppn this base a thick but plastic layer 13 of cement is placed, and the segment bloeks f or the lower courses thereof are laid in this plastic layer, wherefore this layer will assume on its upper surface the external form of the conduit and therefore serve as an efficient support therefor.

In order to keep dry the earth which covers the described conduit, which is necessary for the purpose of minimizing the loss of heat, a longitudinal row of drain tile 30 is laid in the trench on each side of thebase 10, and these rows of drain tile are then buried in tightly packed porous material such as crushed stone or gravel. This insures that the earth which covers the conduit shall be well drained and kept fairly 'of the base in which the drain tile 30 is buried.

Having described my :a tubular "conduit which .is of Segment blocks laid with mortared joints, leach segment'zblfock having :an outer'and an inner row of long-i.-

Vtudiinal holes which ytwo :rows :of fholesare alined with corresponding `rowsiof holesin adjacent blocks, y in theouter row of holes, and plaugs fill-ing :the inner row of holes lat frequent longitudinal intervals.

l 2.' In underground conduit construction forV steamv pipes, the combination Vof ay base Whose upper -surface is concave. andiftted to .the conduit whichit supports and whiclihas `a longitudinalV drainage. grooveV in its top l surface, aV cylindricalt restsy upon said'- base lular segment blocks,of which certain blocks `in the` lowest course, Y intervals,have holes through thein, dischargand is built -upsof'v cellocated at longitudinal ing into said drainagegroove in the top 'of saidr base, and thecells insaidblocks being plugged one block to another for any considerable distancey v with mortargoints each segment block .hav-

3. In. uwlergroilnsflV` enduit Construction i.V

for steam pipes,'a1tubular conduitwhich is built up of a pluralityofv segment blocks laid y ing an outery and inner .row of longitudinal holes,

frequent longitudinal interrcourse and-at'frequent` longitudinal 'intervals invention, I claim: 1 j 1. In lundergrounlconduit lconstruction for steam pipes, built of al plurality insulating materialY packed .Y

j y f5. VUnderground conduitl hular conduit f whichv Y' of longitudinal holes, insulating. y packed in the. outer. row, of holes, lugs in the inner'i .row `of .holes located Vat f requent Y at frequent V.longit-udinal\ intervals in "topreven't the flow ofjair tosaid cells'fprom n drainage insulating material packed in Vthe outer row .of holes,.iplugs filling the inner row of holes at `vals,- -said conduit having in its bottom a. vsegmentblock made of metal having a drainage hole which Vextends downward through it and having alsointegi'al stand'- rds projecting upward from itsinner'surace.

steam pipes' comprising in combination a concrete base having a longitudinal drainage groove in its upper' surface, a tubular 'conduit which isfsuppoited upon said Vbase and is built up of a plurality of segment blocks each of which has .an outer .and an .inner ,rowV of .lonigitudinal holes,

packed in the outer row 'of hol-es, plugs; 4fillliaving through fity af drainage hole VVwhich communicates with the drainagelgroove in J the base, having integral standards projectin-g upward from its innen surface, and 'rol-1ers supported 4by .saidv'standards construction for steam pipes comprisiiigin combination a concrete basehavinga longitudinal drainage groove 1in its Upper. surface,

diut which; is supportedrupon said base and Y a tubular conis built up of apluralitywof, segment 'blocksV eachzof which has an outeijr andan inner row 'material 4. Underground `conduit construction for insulating material theinnen row of Vholes located lat frequentlintervalsf-.saivd cond-uit havinguin its zbottomcourse ail-dat frequent longitudinal intervals a segment :block made of .metal intervals, --said conduit having injitsbottom Y, le whichj communicates v vitlitlieV merel Standards projecting upward ffrom its-inner surface, rollers ysupportedfloy'said standards, a row. odrain tilel'ocated 'below4V the conduit and onv opposite sides ofthe base,

and .a lling of. porous material covering said drain. tile.

In testimony; whereof, I hereunto ,ail'ix my signature.

@Huisman YoOTl'lWSk/lili?- Copies of thisptent maybke obtained for. live cents each, by addressing. the ""Qoirimlijssi'oner'. 'offlatenta Y Washington, .D. C. 

